Wanted: Social Media Intern
How’d you like to win pretty much the sweetest internship of all time?
An internship so fun that it will make a weekend in Ibiza look like an episode of Blue’s Clues.
All you have to do is answer one question. Answer it well, and you’ll earn a swivel chair of your very own right here at one of the biggest ad agencies in the world.
Answer it poorly, and you’ll have a miserable summer sleeping till noon and relaxing on the beach with your oldest friends.
Are you ready for the question?
Here it is…”What is the Matrix?” Just kidding, that’s not the question, although if you know the answer to that one you should probably keep it to yourself, lest the Matrix come after you.
The real question is…”What is your most profound digital experience?”
You can answer however you like. Maybe you broke up with your boyfriend over G-Chat. Maybe you learned Mandarin from a YouTube video. Maybe Kanye re-tweeted you. Whatever it is, post your answer in the comment section of this blog post, and if we like what we see you can come on down for a perfunctory interview. Do not censor yourself. This is advertising, not politics.
But wait — there’s more! To complete the application, you have to email us the following materials:
1) The best Tweet you’ve ever seen
2) The best Tweet you’ve ever written
3) The best Facebook post you’ve ever seen
4) The best Facebook post you’ve ever written
5) The best YouTube video you’ve ever seen
6) The best YouTube video you’ve ever made
7) The best Blog post you’ve ever seen
8) The best Blog post you’ve ever written.
9) The best video game you’ve ever played.
Again, send us whatever you want. If your favorite YouTube video is a bunch of bunnies screaming at the top of their lungs, please, go ahead and make our day. Answer as many as you can. Include a one-sentence rationale for each of your choices. Also, please send us your resumes so we can skim them.* Oh, also, cover letters are strictly prohibited.
Submit answers and resumes to: socialintern@dentsuamerica.com
Why You Should Want This Job:
You will…
— learn everything there is to know about social media marketing
— work in Tribeca, where everyone looks like they’re auditioning to be the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
— create content. You will tweet. You will post. You will spend all day on Facebook, just like you did in college.
— feed us grapes and fan us with giant leaves. JK.
— get paid. Not a lot, but that’s a whole lot better than nothing.
Rules
Only one of you shall be chosen. We will stop accepting applications on April 23rd. Submit answers and resumes to: socialintern@dentsuamerica.com
* Rest assured we will hire you based on your answers, not your resume.
- by Peter Weinberg
- Comments (63)
- Tweet
What is my most profound digital experience? This is an excellent question, one that be answered with so many different examples.
However, my most profound digital experience would have to be when I first discovered Google Earth. Downloading that program and opening it for the first time was memorable to say the least. Never before had I (or anyone else) been able to see different areas of the world to the extent that Google Earth allowed. One minute I’m looking down on my block, and the next moment I’ve zoomed over to the Galapagos Islands, clicking pins on the map to enlarge photos of the wondrous landscape. My prior knowledge of how different places looked came from TV programs, textbooks, or pictures from my grandfather’s trips around the world during his time as a professor. It is safe to say Google Earth ignited some desire and wonder, introducing me to all these vastly different (yet extraordinarily gorgeous) locations around the world. With Google Earth, I literally had the world at my fingertips.
The most profound digital experience I’ve had was probably when I was a tiny child maybe 5 or so and I learned how to turn on the computer. Of course my parents were not happy about that and they started unplugging the computer when it wasn’t on to deter me from going online without parental supervision. But even at the tender age of 5, I craved AOL Kids games. So the first time I tried to do this with the new unplugging system my parents had implemented, I shocked myself. This is probably why children shouldn’t be left unsupervised for long. I don’t know what else my parents could have done to prevent it, I had woken up before them and managed to figure out the gating system my parents put up keep me and my brother from tearing the house apart while they still slept. I remember shocking myself and thinking “Woah, this is powerful stuff.” It was a shocking (too much?) experience that changed my life to say the least. Thankfully I didn’t electrocute myself too bad. The moral of the story don’t stick your fingers into electrical outlets. Technology can be very useful and powerful, but if not used properly it can hurt, a lot.
This is going to sound crazy, but it is a true story. My father brought the first computer to home when i was about to graduate from primary school. Starting from the moment i saw it, i fell in love with it. I spent every single minute with it during my spare time. After three or four weeks, the computer screen suddenly became blue and i could not do anything about it. So i went to my mom and ask her for help. She said the system probably was attacked by virus. However, she want me to solve this problem by myself because she thought it could train my ability of independent problem solving. Couple of days later, she came to me and ask me whether i have solved it or not. I said it has almost been done. I still remembered how happy she was when she hear this. And she want me to tell her how i did it, i said “it has been a week since i turned off the computer.” “How can you solve this problem without turning it on?”she asked again. I said “mom, it has been a week, i think virus should all die because of starvation.”
My mom:………
Growing up, I didn’t have many people I could look up to. While other girls idolized celebrities like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, I always felt a disconnect from them with their blonde hair and tanned skin (among many other reasons). There were some Asians, but they were still different than Asian-Americans, and I hardly saw Asian Americans in the mainstream media up until 2006, when I began noticing a rise in Asian-American YouTube users generating their own videos and talking about the issues that were extremely relevant to my own experiences. Watching them humorously acknowledge and seriously discuss these issues in their videos, then reading the comments below, made me see that there was a larger community out there that shared the same experiences as I did. To finally recognize this was the most profound digital experience I’ve ever had.
There are far too many to list. I could talk about how Facebook reunited me with my best childhood friend after 10 years or how I got the opportunity to interact with a well-noted fashion icon, but instead I think I’ll mention something a bit more disheartening – for me that is. But no worries, looking back on it I think it’s pretty funny. So, feel free to laugh at my expense, believe me, I don’t mind.
This past summer in New York I met a great guy. He at first wanted a relationship, but I wasn’t for it. As time dwindled down and it got closer to me leaving the Big Apple, I all of a sudden wanted a relationship. By this point, it was too late. Unfortunately for me, the tables had turned and now he wasn’t for it. He had given me this long story about how he put so much into the relationship for so long that he had given up on “us.” He didn’t feel that my feelings were genuine since they just came out of the blue. Granted, he probably was right, but hey I’m a 22 year-old-young lady, I still have the emotions of a teenager; I had no idea what I was feeling. Anyway, after a long back and forth, he told me that for the next year he was going to refrain from any relationships with women and be sober. It was all about some renewal, re-growth, spiritual-type hoopla he wanted to commit himself to to become a better man.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. 8 weeks later I log on to Facebook and decide to do some profile creeping. Low and behold, I go to his page to the about section and it states, “Now in a relationship with…” so and so. Well, that’s great, so much for that I guess.
My most profound digital experience would be when i first purchase my apple iPhone. Using a smartphone for the first time is like you became addicted to drugs. You can’t stop looking, touching or clicking it especially when you’re waiting for a friend or classes are just too boring. Tho smartphones has its evil side, there is also a good side. My iPhone has been with me for almost 1 year and i found that it’s been a true life saver. For example, as a amateur photographer, apps like light meter and instagram has been a very useful tool to me because it saves my precious time from having to use Photoshop and it allows me to share pictures with my friends right away. As for now, I will continue to cherish my iphone and i hope the day when i drop my phone on the floor won’t come.
My most profound digital experience was when I logged on to Facebook and saw a friend request from my 67-year-old dad. He is FB friends with all my high school friends and frequently posts that awkward comment on someone’s wall that pops up in my newsfeed. He calls himself a “techno geek” and spends as much time on the networking site as possible. He generally calls me and informs me of any profound changes that occur with the site layout or anytime an old friend from his childhood that he has tracked down. He types at about 10 words per minute, just learned how to text message and spent most of his life in the pre-apple/Smart phone/internet era. Its amazing to see just how accessible the internet has become that someone with no context for this sort of technology can be completely absorbed with its power.
What is your most profound digital experience?
My most profound digital experience has got to be highlighted by the absence of it. During my senior year in college I lived off-campus, down town in a tiny but extremely charming studio. By studio I mean no kitchen, just a room, a huge closet (which sold me) and a dingy bathroom. When my parents first dropped me off and helped move me in, I couldn’t wait for them to leave so that I could acquaint myself with where I’d be living until graduation. That, and so that I could go to the supermarket to pick up a pack of cigarettes and a 30-rack of beer. I chose beer that night because I was under the impression that my friends would come over and pre-game, and who doesn’t like beer. They didn’t come over. That night I quickly discovered I had a linksys connection, which meant I didn’t have to purchase internet, and for any college student trying to budget themselves on $1,000 that meant more money for the typical recreational activities of a 21 year old.
In that apartment I learned about myself. Without cable, I relied on my computer for everything. I bought a Netflix subscription just so I could watch Weeds. I’m not big on TV, I much prefer music. And, my pet peeve is hanging out with a group of friends “watching TV.” We should be talking, laughing, smiling, not staring at a TV. But anyway, when I think of that time, I think of sticking my head out my window, people watching, smoking, drinking a vodka tonic and listening to music, surfing Facebook, surfing Stumble Upon, satisfied. I was satisfied. I was happy. In that apartment I learned how to roll a joint, because I was happy being alone and not having to have Christine come over and do it for me. I learned that hairspray made my hair look great. I learned that paying for laundry blows, especially when the damn machine doesn’t drain out the water. I wrote poetry about Steve and cried myself to sleep over the fact that I couldn’t tell him I was in love with him. That year was the year I had an experience with myself, but my laptop was always there to distract me if it ever got too lonely.
It was a brutally cold January morning. I was having breakfast before class, and watching the re-runs of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, maybe Orange County? I can’t really remember. In the moment I lifted my blueberry coffee to sip it, it spilled all over my Mac. My Mac!!!! My mac is all I had in that apartment, besides my i-home which decided to stop working a few days earlier. I quickly wiped my laptop and noticed it continued to work, so that moment wasn’t as stressful for me. I finished watching my episode, turned off my laptop and went to class.
Later that afternoon, Christine and I met, did some thrift store shopping and came back to my apartment to smoke weed. I went to turn on my laptop and no response. I freaked out. I freaked out in front of Christine, loudly in my hallway, on the phone with the Mac customer service rep. i freaked the fuck out. What was I going to do? What was I going to do with myself? My parents are going to refuse me a brand new laptop.
So I decided to live with the fact that I had no laptop. But, I had to buy a new i-home because I needed something to listen to music. So, I lived for five months, with no laptop, no TV and a busted-ass i-pod. When I needed to use a computer, I walked to campus (about a mile). Oh, and I didn’t have a car. I was on campus all day, to write papers and get the technological fulfillment of just web-surfing and fucking around on a computer.
When I was home, I took great pleasure in learning even more about myself because I didn’t have that distraction I craved. I didn’t have that option to turn my mind off and focus on something else. And the mind can be so cruel. So judgmental, so persistent. My mind enjoyed nights with rum on the rocks and a pen and paper to write poetry. My poetry sucked during those months because I didn’t have access to Thesaurus.com and I was too cheap to buy one when I can use that money for a dime bag.
I guess what I’m trying to say is the fact that I challenged myself was the whole experience. The absence of a computer, of a TV, of mindless internet escapades. I felt ashamed yet interesting, unique. I felt like it was 1995 and I was hanging out my window, smoking a cigarette, sipping on rum (this time) and being with myself. Myself.
P.S. That’s an experience I loved, but never want to go through again.
When we were 12, my best friend at the time and I loved making those animated dolls–you could pick out her clothes, accessories, and hair; you could even give her a sweet boyfriend. We could also take screen shots and post them to our livejournal, the link to which was, of course, cleverly pasted into our AIM profiles underneath inside jokes and emo song lyrics.
One night, I was over her house, and we were on a mission to make dolls from our favorite website. We huddled around the boxy computer screen with wide eyes and screaming imaginations. Dreamdolls.com, we typed into the address bar, which promptly brought us to a corn blue blank screen with only the word “Enter”, a hyperlink in unfitting Times New Roman. Naive and overwhelmed with excitement, we clicked the link.
And we saw boobs. We saw naked women, so many naked women. And we were appalled. And confused. As we tried to make sense of what happened, we heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Her mom. We panicked, exited the screen, but we all know that no porn site comes without uncountable popups to remind you of your poor, poor decision to go there in the first place. Like killing a blood vessel, exiting one popup guaranteed the appearance of two more.
We resorted to turning off the monitor, hiding anxiety behind the flushed cheeks of our preteen faces. Fortunately, her mom left soon after without question and we finished cleaning up the evidence of our mistake, our eyes scalded by the bleaches and Brazilians.
I learned absolutely nothing from that experience except that the Internet can be a very dark and scary place and that it is in fact dreamdollz.com. But I’ll certainly never forget it.
When I got into college, my father finally accepted the fact that there was no way he could expect me to do homework without cable internet. Ditching dial-up was long overdue for my family and I recall bringing it up for quite some time. As far as I was aware, I was finally on the map when it came to any kind of online activity. I remember being mesmerized by others’ ability to watch YouTube videos and check email within seconds when I’d be over their houses. The reason this was a huge deal for me was because I yearned to acquire information. Anything that had a chance of making it on Jeopardy was worth researching and understanding.
On the other hand, I am currently expected to utilize the internet for my class projects. Had I still be using dial-up connection, a single report would require at least twice as much time that I normally spend on it. In addition, I am a big fan of torrenting movies for my film classes and personal use from third parties. My access to limitless information has been nothing short of stellar and life-changing. Unfortunately, the internet is a double-edged sword and for every Wikipedia page there are 10 YouTube “fail” videos. Only time will tell whether I am making the most of my possibilities or just googling things in circles.
I was 14 years old living in suburban Chicago. A typical high school student; I was captain of the volleyball team, and a straight-A student. On my birthday, my parents bought me a laptop. After surfing one night, I came across a chat room. Usually, I only instant message my friends, but this boy named Charlie really piqued my interest. I had never hit it off with someone so quickly. After around three months of chatting, we decided to meet up. He told me he was 16, but he was really 35. At first, I was angry that he lied, but he was charming and eventually convinced me to go back to his motel room, where he raped me.
The plot to the 2010 drama film, Trust, directed by David Schwimmer always saddens me. I first learned about the film as well as almost every other piece of trivial facts from Wikipedia. The first time I experienced Wikipedia was a life-changing event. Back then, the online encyclopedia was still a baby and the content remained questionable. Regardless, I believed in the idea of free information, and so I contributed to articles that I was an expert on. Over the years, the website blossomed, becoming quite sophisticated and interactive. I will literally spend hours on a Wikipedia Adventure, which is aimlessly clicking through links as I explore articles. I might start on the page for ‘Trust’ but end up on the page for the kakapo parrot, reading about their rare mating rituals. Believe me, hearing the accompanying audio will change your life as well.
The most profound digital experience happened in my public relations night class this year. My professor always shows us all of her social media outlets that she uses for work and teaches us why they are so important to her position. Meanwhile every student in the class knows a lot more about social media than her…or so I think.
The next thing I know my professor says “oh look at that, so funny that some of you are already requesting to follow me on twitter.” (Her twitter page is posted up on the projector for the whole class to see). My professor thinks this is just the cutest thing so clicks the kids twitter who requested her and the second tweet on his timeline says how he would “rather shoot himself then listen to this boring ass professor for three hours #getmeouttahere.” This is not the exact tweet because he deleted the post after a nice long meeting after class with our professor but it is pretty exact. It also showed three responses to the tweet from other kids in the class. I think it is safe to say that this opened my eyes to how quickly and easily one single tweet coudl take a life of its own!
Meeting with Po during his “skadoosh” attempts was my most profound digital experience. This YouTube video promotion for Kung Fu Panda 2 is Dream Works best ever! The video starts with Jack Black trying to get the perfect “skadoosh” when suddenly you see in bold red – CLICK HERE FOR EPICNESS. This leads you to a You Tube page where Po grabs video stills from the page and breaks them with his “skadoosh” chops and kicks, cracking the entire You Tube page! Po then waits for you to drag video stills to him and he breaks them too. Wondering what happens if you do not drag it to him? Well you won’t be able to resist Jack Black’s persistent comments from a video at the side column on the same page. A must digital experience. Check it out for yourself…
My most profound digital experience happened when, for the first time in my life, I had access to my parents’ credit card.
So basically, about a month before I left for my spring 2012 study abroad semester, I was going Christmas shopping. My dad gave me the card to get something for my mom so I went to the mall. When I got there, went directly to Nordstrom, I bought some perfume, and left.
When I got home, I hid the gift away for my dad. I stopped and thought to myself that it wasn’t fair that only my mom got something, my brothers should get something too, after all, Christmas was in two days. From there, I decided to go online and attempt to single handedly stabilize the U.S. economy.
I bought my mom a new Apple iMac, bought a fresh pair of Salvatore Ferragamo loafers for my dad, an Emporio Armani watch for my older brother, and a $100 gift card for my little brother. For myself? Well I thought it was about time I dressed like a man who wanted to get paid. Hugo Boss it is.
Now that I think of it, I was leaving to Florence soon to study, why not plan some trips? I went online and remembered, I’ve never seen the Swiss alps, I have a pretty hot friend that lives in Croatia, I kinda want to see Sensation White, and that I kinda wanted to see what all the hype was about in Amsterdam.
Needless to say, when I get home I may not be alive for much longer. My dad might kill me right when I get off the plane or maybe in the basement so no one will hear the screams. He’s a big, off-the-boat Italian guy who dropped out in the 8th grade to work. He came to America for a new life, saved his money, started a business, and gave his family a truly great life. I am proud of him.
The point is, my profound experiences were really the experiences that came as a result of that one digital experience…
The mountains looked as if they were painted onto the horizon. Sensation White was pretty damn awesome (but not as good as Ultra). I don’t remember much about Amsterdam besides the fact that it was incredible. I’m hitting the beaches of Croatia in about a week and while doing this all, looking real fresh.
I don’t know if I completely understood the concept of a digital experience, but my digital experience came after I read “Payment Accepted” and around the time I was busting my ass down Jungfrau Mountain. I may never experience these things again, but they were truly unforgettable.
My most profound digital experience takes me back to my Typepad blog post on 26 Feb 2012.
Earlier that week, a friend made me check out a Bruce Springsteen cover by Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem on Youtube. This was while we were discussing Joe Strummer of The Clash over Skype. The next day, I noticed a Tweet by @johncusack (and I quote “joe strummer on the boss http://t.co/4eQYAIk2”) with a Yfrog picture of a letter attached, Joe raving about Bruce.
A couple hours later, I was watching a Clash tribute performance featuring Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. As I was about to watch the video for the second time, I received a Whatsapp message from a friend informing me that the Foo Fighters concert happening next week has been cancelled.
It doesn’t really make any sense but it was definitely a Clash/Springsteen week for me.
My most profound digital experience happened when I was around 13, when I went to spend a month in South Africa with my aunt. I was what you might call “technologically stunted” – I didn’t have an email address or a cell phone; most of my communication was done face to face. South Africa was the first time I’d been away from home (NYC) for an extended period of time, and it made me realize for the first time the sheer glory of the internet.
I was half a world away from just about everyone on the planet that I knew, but I was in near-instant communication with them. Sheltered and old-fashioned me was amazed that what would years ago have taken weeks or months to send by snail mail could be sent in seconds through cyberspace. When you’re in New York and you’re emailing someone else in New York, it doesn’t hit you the same way. But from ten thousand miles away…well. Distances that could have been mind-numbingly crushing, bridged in an instant. I could follow the Yankees just the same, I could joke with my friends, I could keep up with anything I wanted. To me, this was profound bordering on revolutionary.
This experience taught me at an early age the direct connection between actions on the Internet and those in the real world.
The way my parents like to tell the story is, when I was 5 years old, I went online and bought my dad a new car.
What really happened was that I had overheard him complaining that his Accord was getting too old. So, I thought, I’ll be helpful and look up new ones for him. I went to Honda.com, and soon got so involved with my secret project that I spent a solid hour on the site’s build-your-own page. I ran back and forth between the computer and the garage, customizing a model with the exact features and options of the car he had at the time. Finally, I “requested a quote” thinking it would give me some sort of printout with the details and a price I could give to my dad.
I was not expecting what happened next.
A week later, dad got a call from the local Honda dealership: “Mr. Bender! Your new Accord is here and ready for a test drive!” He, of course, was completely baffled. He asked me about it and I proudly told him what I had done. I was shocked to learn they had actually built the car I designed online. He luckily wasn’t obligated to buy it by any means, as it’s just a sales technique, but I got a bit of a lecture about future do’s and don’ts on the Internet. My parents still joke about it to this day.
My most profound digital experience involves love. and the unreality of digital communication.
The night before I left for college, I stood in an empty parking lot, face pressed against the chest of my best friend, the boy I loved but had never been allowed to have. It was one of those unfortunate catch-22s where for the course of our entire relationship thus far, he had been dating a close friend of mine…breaking up with her just in time for me to leave for school 20 hours away from home. That night, seeing him for the last time for what would feel like a lifetime, he made a promise. That would would stay in touch. And that we wouldn’t lose each other.
For three months, we navigated the depths of each others souls more thoroughly and completely than I had ever allowed when we had actually been in proximity. It was as if our communication through digital media altered its significance. Yes, we were talking everyday…but it was just through texting. Nothing to worry about really. We would have endless debates and discussions over Facebook messaging. Education, politics, religion, marriage. No subject was safe from our analysis. Sure we were connecting…but I couldn’t see his face. Look into his eyes and know that he felt something.
That’s the trouble. Somehow I didn’t see it coming.
I should provide some background. For as long as I can remember, I have avoided romantic relationships. The moment a boy gets that look in his eyes, my soul freezes up and the urge to fight or flight takes over and destroys. Its this visceral fear. Fear of exposing myself. Fear of being attached and defined by another. Fear of not being worthy of a good man. I suppose there’s a reason why I’m drawn to men who are already in relationships.
So when I came home for Thanksgiving, I found myself, once again, being held by my best friend in an empty parking lot. And I gazed into his eyes and saw that look, and I knew the carefree and beautiful love I had procured was doomed. In the harsh light of reality, 20 hours was too far away. And the fact that his ex-girlfriend was my friend did in fact matter. And my undying fear of ruining the most wonderful friendship with the most wonderful person I had ever encountered gripped me by the throat and sent tears to my eyes. And I went back to school, wool pulled from over my eyes and missed the quiet, simplicity of digital communication.
Many moons later, we are still best friends, still once upon a time almost lovers, but we rarely communicate except in person anymore. I suppose we both know what could happen, what, for whatever reason, can’t happen. We must face the cold reality of our lives, leaving the digitial fantasies, hopes and ignorance behind.
My most profound digital experience occurred back when I first started high school. One day, some of my friends told me about how they had searched their own names in Google. Since I had never heard of doing this before, I thought I’d give it a try.
Now, at this point it’s important to know I had already gone through my “I want to be a famous actress” phase. I had already been in some modeling competitions, participated in a variety of shows and events and had a few minor acting roles back in middle school. One of those minor acting parts happened to be for a movie. I was an extra, and all I had to do was stand in a very large crowd during one short scene.
My expectations for seeing myself in a Google search were very low. I was young, barely in high school, with no real accomplishments and no digital footprint. I didn’t even have Facebook yet, let alone any other social media sites. When I came home from school that afternoon and typed in my name, my jaw hit the floor. For a brief second, I felt famous! The first page of results was mostly newsletters regarding academic achievements from middle school. After searching through the next 20-30 pages, however, I realized that the thousands of results that popped up were actually all for me, not someone else who happened to have my same name. The majority of my results were sites that created profiles for actors and actresses, and they had created profiles for me since my name had appeared in the cast credits for Alice Upside Down (2007). This blew me away; for the first time it gave me a real perspective of how massive the Internet was. The pages just kept coming, and seeing my name under the description “actress” was a dream come true for a clueless 14-year-old with big city dreams.
My most profound digital experience has probably been playing World of Warcraft. I’m not a huge fantasy or MMORPG fan but in my freshman year of high school my brother was a senior about to leave for college and he was logging at least two hours a night playing WoW. What initially drew me in was just creating an avatar. My first character was a dwarf warlock with a green mustache. He was pretty ridiculous but he could also summon a demon, which was badass. I started to get more and more drawn into the world, building up my skills whether it be smithing, mining, or necromancy. I eventually quit playing once leveling up skills became too tedious. I have to kill 30 spiders to finish this quest? No thanks. While creating a alternate life to lead was pretty cool, what was really great about playing WoW was it gave my brother and I something to bond over. Up until his senior year of high school we fought near constantly. We definitely were not the closest but as it became clear we’d soon be seeing less and less of each other we started to grasp for things we could connect over. It just so happened that slaying goblins was an activity that peaked both of our interests.
I have many profound moments with technology. I cannot pick just one. I am constantly amazed by what technology can do. When I was four or five years old, I was enthralled with the radio. It was a box that voices came out of and that was a fascinating mystery to me. I felt that there were tiny people living in the radio and I felt I had to set them free. One day when I was left alone with a not too observant sitter, I took that bad boy apart. I took it apart with a knife which was dangerous on so many levels considering that I was four or five years old. Nevertheless, I was determined to set those tiny people free. Imagine my amazement when I found out that no one resided in the radio.
Ever since that moment I continued to be amaze by technology. I was amazed that a refrigerator could freeze things. I was amazed that a microwave could heat things up in under a minute with just a light bulb and electricity. I continue to be amaze at what medical technology is doing. I continue to be amaze when I reconnect with a friend on facebook whom I have not seen since my childhood.
I cannot just pick one. Technology is always a revelation to me. It is always equally amazing and equally profound to me.
Over the past few months I have gained a lot of interest in internet marketing, so a couple of months ago I started taking a course in it: Search Engine Marketing and Analytics. Recently, we were assigned a homework during which we advertised a blog post of ours selves, via three media channels: Email, Facebook and Twitter. We created three separate links for each outlet through Google URL Builder and then tracked the performance of all three using Google Analytics. Those six hours I spent tracking and analyzing data were a pretty profound digital experience. Its amazing what you can do with Google, once you learn its tools.
I also have to mention another digital experience I have been experiencing recently. During the summer I discovered the website 8tracks.com and I was hooked since. I thought I had found my music application of choice with Spotify, but 8tracks just blew me away. What I found most interesting about them, was their search engine and how it let you search for music by your mood. Pretty damn cool.
It’s easy to call the entire digital experience profound. I’m often astounded at the cultural influence of the Internet’s various raw feeds, like Twitter, and those crowd-sourced anarchies, Reddit and 4Chan. Lately, I’ve put a lot of thought into rage faces, and how we’re conditioned to know the exact emotions that they represent. Those MS Paint-drawn faces (Forever Alone, anyone?) are so crude, yet so perfect. Before there was an app for it, I uploaded a Facebook album with these faces superimposed on my friends’ bodies. It was a hit.
It’s harder, though, to point to one specific “digital experience” that was particularly profound. As we continue innovating, each development that effects our behavior and reorganizes our lives is profound.
But to cite one example, I was hired as a contributing photographer (and later became a content coordinator) for a new online store by way of a friend’s Facebook profile photo. Roughly a year ago, I brought my camera to a rooftop pot-luck. The photos I took there were for personal use, and a handful of attendees used them as their defaults with a link to my online portfolio in the caption. Within several days, I received an email from the store’s creative director asking me to shoot a long-form fashion editorial.
As public figures are one tweet away from ruining their careers, and my brother Instagrams his breakfast—blissfully unaware that he’s actively contributing to the Library of Congress—it’s reassuring that there’s just as much opportunity to connect in unexpected ways to create valuable content.
If profound means “originating in or penetrating to the depths of one’s being” (which it does, I looked it up) then all these other answers don’t sound too compelling (sorry all you other applicants). My most profound digital experience was watching the live streaming feed of the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, from Madison, Wisconsin! I have wanted to attend this event since the first time I heard of its existence, I am a big fan of electronic music. I have a number of good friends who travel down there every year and a number of friends who are already down there attending the University of Miami. Unfortunately I have yet to make it down to Ultra and every year I feel incredibly left out as all my friends party together during the biggest electronic festival in America. This year however, Ultra and Youtube partnered up to do the coolest thing ever, and that was Live broadcast the Music Festival. The experience was incredible, while yes I wasn’t actually down in Miami I was able to get a taste of the experience, and they even showed my group of friends on the live feed! The point being that while only just last year, only those who could afford the tickets, the hotels, the flights, and everything else that goes into such a weekend could have the Ultra experience, but now anyone with a youtube can join in the fun too.
My most profound digital experience cannot be summed up in one experience.
Britney Spears following me on Instagram.Not profound per se, but if my eight year old self had been a part of this experience, let’s just say I would’ve owned show and tell.
My parents becoming a part of the Facebook world. It made me rethink all the stupid pictures I had on Facebook.
Another experience, was keeping in touch with a long distance boyfriend over Skype. The relationship honestly wouldn’t have lasted as long as it did if Skype didn’t exist.
Hello Dentsu America!
My most profound digital experience is when I went to Boston Career Forum event in last November. I attended Dentsu Japan seminar and they showed me the most inspirational video in my life. I’ve always wanted to work in an advertising job field – however, I think I only knew the surface of what they actually do as an advertising agency/company. This presenter from Dentsu showed us the project they did in Africa using PowerPoint.
The whole video was about bringing World Cup game to the people in Africa. In Africa, people don’t have a TV to watch the game and therefore, they cannot support the team – the team from their country is in this biggest game, but people in Africa have no idea what is going on.
As a result, Dentsu Japan decided to bring a huge giant projector in Africa and show the game to them. How exciting is this! They not only showed the game, but they also made soccer balls for the kids in Africa to play with. The soccer balls were specially made for the kids in Africa. They wanted to make it strong enough so the soccer ball will last long in Africa for the kids to play.
Looking at the smiles on people’s face when they were watching the game, I was really happy. I had no idea that the company like Dentsu – an advertising company would do such great thing! Immediately after, I knew where I wanted to work at. I want to work at a company like Dentsu because the whole reason why I am interested in an advertising job field is because I want to inspire people from what I make or do. I want to make people happy and feel great about what I do.
In all honesty, I am on the computer or my phone or both almost all the time. There isn’t ever a day that goes by where something digitally profound hasn’t happened. I am always learning something new in ways I never would have without digital media.
Just now I was watching YouTube videos of a fashion vlogger and she does so many interesting DIY, fashion tips and fun videos that are edited so well that it’s creatively inspiring.
I go on Tumblr and Pinterest and browse and almost always find something I’d want to do, buy, make, create or think about for awhile. It could be a quote, video, photo, outfit, painting, or a funny 9Gag post.
Sometimes I run across an article or video about something mind blowing or thought provoking. One time I saw an article about the five most deadliest bugs. It creeped me out but I learned something and still remember it to this day like the bullet ant whose bite hurts as much as getting shot. Another time I saw a brilliant kid (probably around 10 years old) who created 3 iPhone apps already. Another time I saw a video about a mimic octopus that can mimic other sea creatures in appearance and behavior.
Every single day is a digitally profound experience and that is what’s most profound to me about the digital media. It can impart wisdom, teach me tricks and inspire me in so many ways just with a few clicks.
This is the story of how I became a religious Mac user. My most profound digital moment was when someone left a macbook pro at the apartment where I live with my best friend (yes, what a dream come true) a year ago. I was one of them, one of those I-swear-I-will-be-loyal-to-PC-forever person; I didn’t own a Mac and didn’t plan on getting one. My friend and I looked through the computer to find out who the owner is but strangely it was owned by someone that we’ve never even heard of. What is more bizarre is when we both posted pictures of the Mac on our Facebooks to try to get the owner to claim it but no one did. Therefore, we kept the Mac and my friend decided I could have it because she already had one. Now I am still using the Mac and haven’t touched my PC since. It was as if there was a divine being and even (s)he wants the whole world to convert to an Apple fan. Moral of the story is there is someone watching over Steve Jobs and the more resistant you are the more they come after you.
I am writing this application with THE Macbook.
Until (relatively) recently, and despite having had a Facebook since God-knows-when — my high school was one of the first to be granted access — and succumbing to the peer pressure of my friends and getting a Twitter, which I now am obsessed with, naturally, I kind of didn’t get social media. I mean, like, I got the general idea, and it made my life so much easier regarding pictures and keeping in touch with friends post-high school when we scattered all over the country, and again post-college, when we scattered even more, but I also felt like as long as I had email and could text/bbm everyone (yes, I’m a blackberry holdout, sue me), I could live without the rest.
Then came 8 December 2011. My team is and has been since I started watching basketball in around 2001 is the Lakers. Yeah, so I’m a traitor to New York, the Knicks were terrible, the Lakers are still my team. And we were getting Chris Paul! I didn’t feel super great about having to give up Pau, since he and Kobe work so well together, but we desperately needed a new young talented point guard, and Chris Paul is nothing if not talented.
Except then the trade talks were put on hold, and rumors started swirling about the dark machinations of that fascist David Stern, and the Times wasn’t giving me any new info, so I took to the blogosphere and Twitter and even set up a Google alert for the first time in my entire life. As I’m sure you know, David Stern ultimately vetoed the trade, and the internet literally erupted in outrage. I laughed at tweets, like the ones saying Vanessa Bryant had filed for divorce, but David Stern vetoed it. I cried at blog posts detailing just how badly the aging Lakers needed young blood like CP3. But, more importantly, I felt connected to a much greater community and had finally figured out why everyone’s so goddamn obsessed with social media in the first place.
My most profound digital experience? Sneezing baby panda, hands down. But really, the most interesting thing about social and digital media is the connective opportunities available to any person, any where, interested in anything.
To be perfectly honest my most profound moment online had to be when I first encountered fandom on Tumblr. I was in England studying abroad two years ago feeling cut off from my friends and hobbies back home in the states. For years I had followed my fandoms on Livejournal and various fansites but the day that I was interduced to tumblr my life changed. Tumblr was a whole other dimension. Hordes of fanatic fangirls and boys posted insights, pictures, gifs, fanfic and spoilers in a continuous stream.I could go on at any moment day or night and spend hours scrolling through my dashboard, I felt like I was in constant conversation with my fellow fans. Honestly it was like finding a mountain of crack after spending 3 months in a rehab facility. I felt connected to something bigger than myself, as a group we tracked down celebrates from our favorite show, discovered future plot points, shared data, episode downloads and general thoughts about everyday life.
I still love Tumblr, I find that it’s easy access and continuously changing face still gives me hours of enjoyment, though I did give it up for lent this year… and almost made it the full 40 days! Go me! As long as the people on the site remain positive and enthusiastic I know that I will keep coming back for my Tumblr fix for many years to come.
My most profound digital experience you ask?
That’s a pretty hard question to inquire considering the fact that I use technology on a regular basis. Well, now that I think about it’s probably a tad bit higher than a simple “regular basis” it’s probably more accurate to state that it’s a “freakishly high abnormal basis.” You’re probably thinking that it couldn’t be that ridiculous but some of my friends have labeled it an obsession but their absurd (I think -_-)
Well, I may or may not browse through Face book like a social media fiend.
I might occasionally desperately rely on the GPS system in my phone to get to any location.
So what if I have an ongoing 2 year beef with some random Russian guy in Call of Duty over Xbox live (if you’re reading this rEdNrEaDyxx013, you suck!)
And maybe I can’t go for more than a hour and a half without internet/ my phone/ or some sort of digital outlet without panicking like a parent that just lost their kid at the amusement park, that doesn’t mean I’m obsessed , right?
Well, that being said it’s safe to say I’ve had my share of digital good fortune. From Soulja Boy giving me a shout out over Twitter, to developing a relationship off of Face book (pimp) I’ve had quite a bit of experience.
But if I had to sum it all up into one profound experience it would be when I got my first Playsation.
I was eight years old when I got my first Playsation back in 1998 and it blew my mind. The very first game I got was Megaman X4 and after that I was hooked. My brothers and I was slave over that game for hours and never got tired of it. But what started with Megaman, turned to other games like Crash Bandicoot, Marvel vs Capcom, and Madden. When I look back on those times now it wasn’t just the games that were so special, it was the bonding that came along with it. My entire family of 7 would sit in the living room after dinner and laugh, argue, and cheer as we played, fought, and bet against each other in those games.
Some of my best times growing up were right there in front of that TV with that Playsation.
So if people want to label my fondness for technology a obsession then should be it ,anyways it is the digital age right?
My most profound digital experience?
Besides opening up this page and coming across this job posting that pretty much made my heart skip a beat and forced me to gasp for air!….there are a few others.
As a 90s kid I was lucky enough to experience digital technology from its progressive beginnings to what is now a constant necessity. Tamagotchi toys were all the rage when I was growing up, and was it one of the first digital gadgets I was able to acquire, and quickly became an obsession. My first Walkman made me feel like the coolest kid on the block, although my parents gifted it to me two years after everyone else had gotten theirs. These were some of the first digital devices that allowed me to access forms of media at my fingertips, which was a big deal for anyone at that time. However, none of those were comparable to the euphoria that was seeing a 3D film for the first time as a child, which might have been “Honey I Shrunk the Audience” at Disneyland. Today, nearly every film that is produced, gives audiences the option of viewing it in the second or third dimension. New media and distribution mechanisms are quickly cultivating a culture where forms of media are accessible instantly and at our fingertips.
The most mesmerizing digital experience I have ever encountered in my entire life was very recently at Coachella music festival, as artist Tupac Shakur’s hologram appeared on stage next to rapper Snoop Dogg. The crowds were stunned to see the West Coast Hip Hop icon being digitally resurrected, for today’s generation to enjoy his performance in this instance. Personally, I felt thought it was spectacular and somewhat of a flashback to my childhood, and in this way was significant to me. What was more astounding was the rapidity of its conveyance to audiences that were not present, through social media. By the time I arrived home that same evening all of my friends had seen the performance online and were equally stunned! Today we do not have the option of waiting, or traveling somewhere to have entertainment, news, music, etc. It is all immediately attainable, and social media makes extraordinary things like this possible.
My most profound digital experience, surprisingly enough, came from college applications. I consider the college process to be an inherently evil entity, however it did teach me several important life skills. For one, I learned that it was wrong to lie, but reshaping the truth is highly encouraged. My profound experience also taught me an important lesson: the Internet can be a frighteningly revealing place.
It all started with the Tufts application, where I had to write three mandatory essays in addition to a fourth, optional part. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like writing as much as the next guy. But three essays in one application? Too far. So when I heard I could make a video for the fourth section of my application, I jumped on the opportunity. I decided on making a video where I pretended to be interviewed by James Lipton, and, upon its completion, I posted it to YouTube to show to Tufts’ Admissions. And not to toot my own horn, but considering I recorded and edited the video on my mom’s laptop, I think I did a pretty good job.
For the next couple of months I forgot about the video. Second semester arrived and my cares about grades departed. It was around February that my friend texted me and said I was on the New York Times’ website. I went to the site and saw the Times had done a story about Tufts allowing students to use videos in their applications. To my amazement, my video was included online in the article. I believe my fame in life peaked over the next few days. A clip of me appeared on ABC news, I was interviewed several times, and even my school newspaper wrote a story about me.
When it was all said and done, my YouTube video had around 10,000 views, a paltry number in the world of Internet videos. I thought back to the countless “Fail” videos I had watched, about all the angry rants and embarrassing stunts, and of the apparently crazy people who were immortalized with their hundreds of thousands of views. My world felt rocked by 10,000 views, I could only imagine what the people in those videos felt like. In this world of camera phones, anyone can be recording at anytime, and you just can’t know when your drunken escapades will wind up online with millions of hits. I think it’s important to keep that in perspective when you’re considering doing something you wouldn’t want the rest of the world to see.
And just for the record, if I had to choose a second most profound digital experience, it’d be when I found out I had the same name as a porn star. What are the chances?
Most profound digital experience.
YouTube was first created in 2005 and I discovered this site when a friend, who knew I loved making videos recommended it to me. I thought this site was simple but very useful because I can begin to share the videos I have made with people all over the world, old friends, family from different parts of the country.
It was so pivotal because back then, I couldn’t share the memories I held on my hard drive with the people I care about. I wanted them to watch my life and what was happening at the moment. YouTube made me realize that when the day does come for me to pass on, hopefully I will have uploaded enough videos for everyone to see. I don’t have that much at the moment so I better get a move on.
During my sophomore year of college (the same night my friend Brady and I made the marriage proposal video), my friend Kelly and I spent four hours watching YouTube videos so we could learn how to properly do the Stanky Legg.
Sure it was handy being able to learn a dance from a video, but the reason it’s my most profound digital experience is because that night was the first time digital media allowed me to develop a deep bond with someone. Yes, Facebook links us to friends and Twitter allows us to stay updated on our friend’s thoughts, but that night YouTube allowed a real, preexisting relationship to strengthen immeasurably. Because of that ridiculous night, Kelly and I went from being classmates to best friends. It sounds bizarre, but if it wasn’t for those countless YouTube videos and the hours we spent laughing at them, Kelly and I probably would not have become best friends, at least not that quickly. I cannot imagine what the rest of college, and my life now, would be like without her as a best friend. I was in Kelly’s wedding this past winter, and the night of the Stanky Legg was the story I told to describe our friendship. It’s one of the most fun times I’ve had with my best friend, and it would not have been possible without YouTube.
My most profound experience was magical, disgusting, surprising, untimely, and just in the nick of time. First some back ground information, I went to an independent boarding school for 9th-12th grade, our population was small (relatively, at about 1200 kids). Second, I am gay, so my population was even smaller. You can just imagine how many other gay kids were at my boarding school—actually you probably can’t so I’ll tell you that there weren’t many. During my junior year of high school I took a liking to a guy in the grade above me. He was from Chicago, so naturally he thought he was better than me, being from New York, however, I disregarded his whiny jabs at my hometown. We began flirting, studying together, watching movies in each other’s rooms; generally hanging out more. One random day, sometime in winter, I received a friend request from one Fre****a J****s on Facebook. I had no idea who this woman was, and her Facebook profile picture put her at least at 55 years old, but we had a mutual friend—my father. I accepted her friend request. Two days later, G***f, my then beau, came up to me in the dining hall. “Hey how do you know Fre*****a?” “Who?” I asked forgetting the old lady that recently friended me on Facebook. He showed me my Facebook profile to jog my memory, but I had no idea why I knew her, or my father. “I don’t know.” I decided to call my dad and ask who our new mutual friend was. “That’s your aunt Fre*****a,” he said incredulously, as if I were supposed to remember someone I probably never met before (at least during my conscious years). I went back to G***f with my newfound knowledge. I let G***f know the next time I saw him. “Hey G***f, remember Fre*****a?” “Yeah, why?” “She’s my aunt.” “You’re fucking kidding me right?” I laughed nervously, why would I kid about something like that? “No why?” I said, cautiously. “That’s my grandmother.” [I’ll give you a moment to gasp.] That’s right, the senior I met at high school from Chicago that I was attempting to hook up with… was my cousin. Now before you are too disgusted to hire me; Fre****a was his grandmother by marriage, so we weren’t blood relatives (still all the fire was lost between us). And so I have social media to thank for saving me from what could have been a PTSD inducing experience.
My most profound digital experience was when I saw that Jade from AFI had a Myspace back in 2004 when I was 14 years old. I lied about my age and signed up for Myspace that day just so I could send him a friend request. That day changed everything because it opened up an entirely new spectrum to my social internet experience. Up until that point, I had spent most of my days lurking AOL chat rooms, waiting for the moment when someone would leave the Blink 182 room so that I could get in there.
Creating or editing one’s own identity is ubiquitous today. Social media allows us to tailor one’s rough edges, excise unwanted quirks and present ourselves in a better light. You could say that the notion of defining one’s own identity has become a key component of the digital world. My most profound digital experience however, diverges from this trend Rather than defining my own identity through some medium of social media, I lost my sense of self the first time I played Skyrim.
Actually, I lied. I didn’t just play the game. No, I stepped into a completely different world of Nordish towns, hopelessly desperate peoples, frigid tundras, and ancient beasts. I was no longer a nerdy but fashionable, basketball loving, 120+ APM Diamond League (Starcraft 2 reference) Asian American male. I had became Dovahkiin, dragon born, and I was humanity’s last hope for defeating the ravaging reincarnated dragons. With my unique dragon shouting abilities I would save the world…! But only after I explored a few caves, killed some undead mages, joined the Dark Brotherhood of assassins and bought my own house. And then, after I had finished my swashbuckling adventures, were the dragons at my mercy.
Needless to say, I spent many hours playing this game. What made it so special was its depth. The world was ginormous, the story surprisingly involving and the characters thoughtfully developed. Most importantly the computer scripting incorporated a wide range of commands that gave people and creatures a more spontaneous (and realistic) set of actions.
These days, I rarely travel to the world of Skyrim. The world is safe now thanks to my heroics. Occasionally, I get realities mixed; yelling “Fus Ro Dah” at my sister in frustration doesn’t send her flying through a window but rather elicits a surprised, bewildered and perhaps concerned expression. Fortunately, Kinect voice integration is coming to Skyrim. You know what that means. It’s time to sharpen my sword; it’s time to warm up my dragonborn vocal chords. And lastly, it’s time to prepare myself for another adventure in the world of Skyrim.
Q. ”What is your most profound digital experience?”
A. College.
I moved from South America nearly 7 years ago to discover who I am, the world around me and whatever else your are supposed to figure out in college. Not having my family and friends around forced me to go out, explore and meet people. Thanks to my multicultural and well-traveled background I understood how you could learn a lot by seeing, talking and interacting with other cultures. The world was mine to conquer and I was looking for the tools to help do so.
Serendipitously social media really started to come up at that time. Facebook was still restricted to college students and only a handful of YouTube videos reached a million views. I saw these social technologies as passports to discover other places and cultures. But more importantly as an advertising student I understood how these technologies were creating new types of value. As much as I was learning about the fundamentals of the industry from my professors, new rules were being proven on Mashable every single day. I learned to combine the old with the new to create new types of value. What better place to find content that feels like iceberg lettuce than a college campus?
College was definitely a “tradigital” experience. I discovered just as much from knocking on doors down the hall than by creeping the FB page of a friend in California. My understanding of how to connect brands with the Millennial generation on and offline landed me 3 top-agency internships, a national award by the AAF, a job with Red Bull and a Marketing Manager position for one of the biggest college bars in Philly. Will it help me land this position? I hope so… my mom already started singing the Fiddler on the Roof “Matchmaker” song when I told her about applying for this position.
Q:What is your most profound digital experience?
A:I met an employee from Japan Dentsu tonight at my friend’s house. He told me about his job and I expressed my desire for doing an internship in a Japanese company. I also told him that I am worried about my Japanese because I never took Japanese proficiency test before but most of the companies need that, he said that his company does not need that. I was really surprised by that and after I came back home I start searching the Dentsu’s internship information. That’s why I am typing my most profound digital experience here, the thing surprised me most is the deadline is tomorrow. It’s just like magic that you found an internship you want to do during the last day before deadline. It has never been so coincident on the internet and in my real life information. I think it’s time for me to answer those interesting question now.
That time I was hired off a tweet.
Q. ”What is your most profound digital experience?”
A. Learning to use TiVo
Throughout my 10 years or so of being an avid user of multiple “digital” sources, all of which have been quite profound in their own way, my most profound digital experience has to be learning how to use TiVo. TiVo has proved itself to be one of the most useful technological advances in my life. What was originally used as a tool to keep up with television when I was too busy to watch shows on time has now become something that keeps me entertained when Wake Forest nightlife fails to do so.
It is quite depressing to think that something that Asher Roth raved so much about in a song fell short of its expectations in reality. There is something about the combination of WASPY, upper middle class students, greek life, and a school in the middle of nowhere that would rather have me watching Gene Kelly films. Luckily, because of TiVo, every time I get my weekly social emails (which may as well be called weakly social emails), I can already begin to plan which days will be devoted to Game of Thrones and Curb Your Enthusiasm and which days will be spent watching syndicated episodes of Sex and the City and Seinfeld. Between skipping commercials and re-watching favorite scenes (and even favorite episodes), TiVo has kept me on my toes for 8 years and counting; whereas college has only managed to do so for about a month per semester.
Now that I have been in Rome, Italy for the semester, there will be nothing more satisfying than turing on my TiVo to four months worth of recorded shows. Fortunately, living abroad as maintained my interest. There are, however, some things that have precedence over traveling and eating gelato; one of them being, relaxing and watching uninterrupted, commercial-free television. The pristine moment I watch the season opener of Game of Thrones may be as profound as the day I learned to use the TiVo remote.
My most profound digital moment would have to be finding the listing for this job.
My most profound digital experience was sharing my study abroad adventure with my friends and family back home via blogging. Last summer I traveled to East Europe and it was my first time out of the country. With Tumblr, I was able to share photos, posts, and videos that were written in a very timely manner. Blogging allowed my friends and family to live vicariously through me during the summer. Without a blog, there would be no way I could accurately describe my trip to each of them individually. The blog had an even bigger personal impact, however. The blog transformed into a virtual scrapbook that no other traditional scrapbook could even come close to. Being able to see all of the photos, detailed recaps, and videos made the experience even more real. As the trip was happening, I was viewing the experience in a tangible way. Even today the blog has a huge impact on me. Having that account allows me to relive a part of Europe whenever I feel nostalgic about the best summer of my life.
My most profound digital experience? I’d say I had a lot but if I had to choose one only; it would be the time when I took a computer class where I learned how to use Adobe Photoshop to create a thirty second animated gif. Although the class was not required for my major, it piqued my interest and took it as an elective. The assignment was to advertise our college’s graphic design major, similarly to a commercial but not quite. It was great to learn the process of learning how to create something that I had thought it would be so simple, but actually was complex. My professor taught us how to create a storyboard as well as doing voice-overs, which is pretty much the same in animation.
Since I’ve also been a animation fan at age of three, creating my own animated gif was pretty awesome even though I was and still am a novice when it comes to this; I felt it was a big accomplishment on my part. I was glad I took this class, which taught me several things that are used in broadcasting as well as animation.
Learning new things has always been a positive aspect for me and I feel that being in the graphic arts major can help broaden my horizons. As technology is forever changing, I hope to learn and gain more experience with the help of Dentsu America. Thank you for the opportunity.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that my parents probably regret a little bit that they introduced me to computers and video games. There was no simply turning back after I was allowed to wreak havoc on the ancient Power Mac computer we had, playing the Japanese version of Pokémon Green on my light pink Gameboy Pocket to become part of the first wave of the fandom, and receiving the original PlayStation for my birthday which paved the way for me to become the hardcore gamer I am today. Countless times my parents have asked if I didn’t have anything better to do than sit in front of all the damned screens I have. Needless to say, it’s hard to imagine my life without the Internet and the glory of all its cat videos as well as the chance to beat the crap out of my friends…in Tekken that is.
Being a huge social media junkie, it’s rare to see me disconnected from the likes of Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, and, especially, Twitter. There is even a sense of smugness in the blurb under my handle that I typed when I first created my account: “It’s part of my interest to be involved in the latest social networking buzz.” Perhaps at the time, my attitude suggested I was being dismissive of the potentials of Twitter but I have certainly come a long way since then. An extension in my browser updates in real time any tweets that have come from the 200+ accounts I follow and I neurotically make sure I have caught everyone one of them. It’s amazing what 140 characters can do to disseminate important news or simply express the more mundane things in life. What has particularly helped me really enjoy Twitter above all is the ability to simply converse with those you usually can’t: celebrities, athletes, musicians, industry professionals, and so on. I understand that they’re busy people and don’t have the time to answer back to every single tweet they receive. Yet, it’s an awesome feeling when they acknowledge me by simply just leaving a thank you. One experience that really stands out is when I initiated a friendly trash talk session with a band member from a band I follow as I bragged about the New York Rangers beating his Montreal Canadiens which ended with him telling me he would love to play in New York sometime given the chance. Twitter puts social media on a whole different level in that it allow fans to connect with their idols in a way never seemed possible with a mere 140 character limit.
My most profound digital experience was an Oreo commercial that aired during the Beijing Olympics.
A couple of my friends were over my house and we were watching the Beijing Olympics. My favorite part of big sporting events is the commercials. Many of them were quite impressive, and I was watching them in awe. Then, the Oreo commercial came on. The 30-second commercial featured a red-haired white girl on a train in China with her mom. Among the Chinese people who were eating noodles, her mother gave her two Oreo cookies and milk. She was eating her Oreos in the way I eat them (licking the frosting first, then putting the cookies back together and dipping it in milk, which creates for the most balanced and delicious taste) when she realized that the Asian girl on the train across from her was doing the same thing. The message of the commercial was simple; Oreos were bridging two different cultures together. However, the interpretations that my friends and I made were very complicated. Focused so much on the Oreos, I thought the commercial was cute and the message was pretty clear. My other friend was enraged with the commercial’s depiction of China as an antiquated and crowded country that still runs on steam trains. Another argued that the Chinese girl was copying the white girl, displaying white superiority over China. Then, my other friend spoke up and said that she was offended that the commercial is portraying America and Americans as Anglo Saxon white people, in the case of the mother and daughter who are both white. A heated argument ensued and the conversation gradually moved beyond the Oreo commercial. We did not reach the same consensus, but I did learn the implications that can be made from the directing and visual selections of a commercial and the degree of impact an advertisement can have on viewers.
My most profound digital experience: Going to School/Working in Tokyo, Japan.
Japan is a stranger to everyone and no one. Most of us are familiar with the polarizing images of samurai and school girls. However, for me, the true essence of this country lies beneath these iconic stereotypes–at the intersection between the past and the future. Hundred-year-old shrines play neighbors to multi-story arcades. Sumo wrestlers browse through their smart phones while dining at McDonalds. It was this dichotomy, the new seducing the old, that drew me in. It was my love of all things digital that held me there.
After studying abroad in Japan during high school, I returned in 2010 to study international business at Sophia University. Trains were both punctual and bilingual. Toilets, more polite than the average New Yorker, would thank me for my patronage. When I wasn’t taking classes, tutoring, or interning I would steal away to Akihabara Electric Town. A cross between a bazaar, an electronics trade show, and a red light district, Akihabara is a Mecca for everything digital. I became captivated from my first visit–adrift on a sea of LEDs in a country where everything is integrated, connected, and WORKS.
This is the Matrix. And I took the red pill.
Immersed in a land filled with custom and formalities, feeling overwhelmed was commonplace. Writing became a form of catharsis. Whether I was coping with culture shock or recounting a near-death experience on Mt. Fuji, I brought my friends and family along with me on each journey. Through social media, I not only found a way to make sense of the world, but a way to bring that world to others in a way that only social media can.
I feel that the most profound digital experience that i have had, must be the attitudes and the way in which people view our internet. The digital revolution has seen a gigantic change in how we view each other, treat each other. We have all become so much more connected. The creation and sharing of media, opinions, ideas, are able these days, to change and shape the world we live in. I feel that this is one of the most important technological advancements of recent generations. Digital media has given us a world of information overload. Using the internet you can browse countless websites, find out what interests you, people who you have lost contact with, the world is literally at your fingertips.
I think though however, in relation to being able to connect with people in a new and easy way, the digital experience which had THE most profound effect of my life, was when 2 or 3 years ago, my best friend joe had been told by his parents that his dad had fathered an illegitimate son, who had grown up without a manly figure in his life. Being absolutely transfixed with the notion that he had another brother, through facebook, he was able to locate this stranger, not to mention, begin to exchange messages and get to know one another. I mean, we live in a world where we can basically find anyone or anything that we are looking for with minimal research. The power of that is undeniable. I think the most important thing, is how we are going to advance from this and use this digital revolution to its fullest potential, and not abuse it!
Before the year 2000, my only notion of the word “digital” came from excessive hours playing Aladdin on Windows ’94. This conception changed in 2000 when the word “digital” became something new—a whole new world. It was the digital “get down.” One may be twenty-thousand miles away, but could see you—see you—Baby. Now, you can do more than just talk because I can hear you and see you. Things were different. My nine-year-old self was no longer restricted by distance because I could, then, get “freaky deaky” with a stuttering ten-inch screen. Baby, it was real.
Realistically, I can’t help but think of anything digital as a separate world. It’s not real to me. At sixteen, I joined an artsy, hipster website, Makeoutclub.com. We talked about movies, music, and which celebrities would be dead by year’s end. It was a separate world, until I ran into a fellow MOCer on the streets. On the website, we were friends. In reality, we were socially-inept teens too insecure to even strike conversation—even though we shared the same interests.
The Internet still holds this impact on me. It’s a different world—you don’t always notice how “real” it is.
Strangely, what the most cutting-edge and sophisticated current IT technology does to me is letting me travel back to the past and see myself through the mirror.
It has been seven years since I graduated from my middle school, where I began keeping journals on Cyworld, pre-Facebook era social website of Korea back then. Overtime the diaries stocked up to more than 1,000 entries. Now we have Facebook, and this papa website became an old forgotten books on upper shelf and I do not use it as often as I had once. But you know, sometimes you feel like perusing through the old dusty books in your room.
As all know, reading past diaries is sometimes a very painful work. It is a time of realization – of how much immature I was, how much we were all pretending to be adults. However, after a while (I say after high school) the deep gap I had felt between me-now from me-back-then started to fill up. Yes, college in the States gave me plenty of time to contemplate about true myself in foreign culture. I had to struggle, I had to fight my time here. I thought I would never grow up, but I did. Isn’t it strange that you can realize it only after reading the journals you have written? Sometimes I am taken aback when I found out I was thinking the exactly same thing at the exactly same time from the last year.
Had it not been the Internet, I could have missed all this wondrous experience of staring myself though the mirror, because I was such a messy girl who can never keep a thing on the original place. I still have a ton of unfinished notebooks piled up somewhere in my room. It tells me where to go, what to do, what should be done as it has my history from ten years ago – the day my dear grandfather died when I was taking SAT test, the day I had the legendarily big fight with my mother, friends that I have forgotten for so long, the feeling of loneliness of being completely alone in the other side of the Earth, amazing sunrise from lake Michigan, sweat and tears I shed during my dance performances, the first “freshman binge drinking” experience, joy, sorrow, pride, respect, hope, despair and everything is here, here in a reach of just a few clicks.
Digital world, it is not just means of having fun to me anymore. It is me now, it is myself in the past, and it is my mirrored image. Discovering and designing myself through digital technology is the most profound, everyday experience for me.
I know you want something super original, and even though I have spent a lot of time creating digital stuff during my previous job and internship, it was never as profound as falling in love with my husband through Skype. We randomly met in 2007 in Colorado, but soon had to go back to our respective homes – I’m from Peru and he is from Kansas City. Soon after, though, a long distance relationship started, which lasted 2 years before he eventually moved to Peru. Honestly, we couldn’t have done it without Skype. My english wouldn’t be so good today if I wouldn’t have read his lips while he was talking to me… or seen his eyes and smile when were saying how excited we were to meet again. We got married last year and I’m the happiest person in the world… and I believe Skype was the tool that allowed us to keep the relationship going. So that’s it… my most profound digital experience… something so profound that on our wedding invitations we wrote one simple quote that read, “Thank God for Skype”.
I am currently a student at Duke University, and one of the coolest things I have experienced was to go to the University’s “DiVE” room as an event during one of my classes. It is the ‘Duke immersive Virtual Environment’, which is a 6-sided cave-like virtual reality theatre that you can walk into and be completely immersed in. The four walls, the ceiling, and the floor are all screens onto which computer graphics are displayed, and I was able to literally walk into a whole new world, and what was so crazy was the idea that it had the potential to be transformed into something new and ridiculous at any second. The most amazing part was that, not only are you walking around in this world (to give you a visual, the virtual world I was in had fields going for miles in all directions around me despite the fact that I was actually in a room as long as your average dining room table), but that you have the power to interact with virtual objects in the world as well. You are provided with stereo glasses that give the world depth perception, and a handheld wand lets you manipulate virtual objects.
It was one of the strangest experiences I‘ve ever had when an avatar lady came from across the field and walked up to me in this virtual room. She started out as a small dot on the horizon, and then I saw that she was three-dimensional and was getting closer and closer until soon she was standing right in front of me. I had actually become my own avatar in a virtual reality. I was now face to face with another avatar that I could communicate and interact with, in a world that seemed full of endless possibilities. It was a profound experience for me as the gap between human and computer had practically been diminished to zero, and it made my imagination run wild with what could come in the near future if something so digitally engaging was a possibility today. The experience was honestly surreal, and it really made me appreciate how profound our digital world can be.
My most profound digital experience? This has to be the moment I realized I emailed the wrong cover letter to about 30 companies that I was trying to intern with. Needless to say I have yet to hear from any of them. So, the fact that cover letters are strictly prohibited at Dentsu America is more than appealing to me. When I realized I had made such a big mistake I broke down in tears, and proceeded to self-loath under my covers with a container full of Oreos. I was over applying for internships at the moment, and then came Dentsu. Although, I am technically a day too late I told myself I’ll really suck at this whole interning thing if I don’t try anyway.
The most profound digital experience I had happened in high school. A classmate of mine passed away tragically and his Facebook page became an instant memoriam. A high-tech, 21st century way for my peers to mourn his death. His wall was like a scrapbook of memories and sentiments. At first I was offended that emotions of this magnitude were just a click away from the ridiculous, redundant, red cup-filled albums of my peers’ Facebook pages. But then it made me see just how wonderful Facebook can be. It’s a place where people boast about keg stands, sure. But, it can also be a memorial for people who die too young. And in that profound moment of realization, I became proud of my party-going peers who shared their beautifully deep and heartfelt memories.
Creating my MySpace page. I had resisted the “fad” of MySpace for a few months, but when I finally logged on my mind was blown by the possibilities of representing myself. Profile picture, background, text, colours. Everything was a decision, a decision that should represent me and the things I found important. They were difficult decisions to make, since as an 8th grader I didn’t really know myself. But it was fun to explore. To change these decisions to represent who I was any given week. Eventually I grew out of MySpace and into Facebook, but I will never forget the creative exploration allowed by Tom’s MySpace.
Coming from a migrant family I have always had to depend on either the telephone or web to communicate with family members. Facebook is the connection between the thousands of miles between us. It would be hard to choose one profound digital experience amongst many that touch our hearts. I am touched to see my mother chatting with her sisters via my brother’s or my own Facebook account since she doesn’t know how to use a computer herself. See my parents come from Chile, from the campo, or country, and in the past year they have been Skyping with their siblings in Chile. Of course they still call each other, but Skyping is another story – to them it’s as if they can for once “be” together. But yeah my most profound digital experience would have to be watching my mother Skype with her sisters.
Q: ”What is your most profound digital experience?”
A: My most profound digital experience was while I was working at my temporary job in the Advertising Sales Dept. with A&E Television Networks. I was working as a Sales Assistant and was responsible for managing and allocating millions of dollars worth of accounts using advertising programs such as Gabriel and Panda. Needless to say it was a very challenging task in which I gained a great deal of experience from.
My most profound digital experience would have to be the time that I accidentally ran into the monitor in my business marketing class. I hit the damn thing so hard that it broke into multiple pieces and I had to pay three hundred dollars to get it fixed. That’s a lie, but hopefully it got your attention.
I would say that the first time that I used Google Earth and Google Maps would have to be at the top of the list. Seeing how much time, effort and skill went into making such a kick ass program and knowing that it is interactive is awesome. The idea of having a world that could be spun to take you to any location is pretty creative. I actually zoomed down to my house and could see my car sitting in the driveway. Google Earth allowed me to find any place around the world and then see it in 3D. The guys and gals at Google are constantly adding new info, updating areas, and adding programs for their users. Phones now have the applications on them. I have both on mine. Business owners can add Google Places to their web site to advertise their business. Users can check in on their phones where they are at any given time. Friends can locate each other via smart phones running the Google Map programs! The benefits go on and on.
I use Google Maps and Google Earth on a day to day basis now. Other applications I have on my phone use them as well making it easier for me as a user. I can find the best place to grab a coffee that’s the closest to my location and then tell everybody about it on Facebook or Yelp. I love that it has changed how I go about communicating to other people and how we as users find information.
Most profound digital experience could be from the initial existence of digital age to things that you might not even heard of. The most significant to me, though, has to be Facebook.
Facebook has to be something that completely shifted my life (as well as many people). Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with a bunch of old friends and as well as shamelessly add girls that I may have met last night at a bar #YOLO. Facebook is more than just Facebook, it revolutionized the probability and stability of friendship making, and it’s replacing digits with Facebook Friend requests. It’s a tool to reconnect with ugly duckling that became a swan through years of evolution. Though the biggest disadvantage to Facebook is that it’s a weapon of mass destruction when your mother decides to re-share every picture on your Facebook Wall and hope no one introduces tumblr to her. I tend to use Facebook to its extreme because I see so many benefits in connecting with the world. Many people say it kills human interactions, but I disagree. It’s not replacing human to human interactions, but instead it’s producing and enhancing the chances of (re)uniting. It’s simply a digital outlet to the rest of the world.
So…Who wouldn’t think this is the most profound digital experience ever?
The world of technology and social media has shaped every aspect of my social life. I arrived at this realization while having a conversation with my mother about her college experience. Prior to the invention of cell phones, email, Facebook, and Twitter, social relations were dramatically different. My mother recalled meeting someone new in class and exchanging landline numbers with her. Today, instead of reaching out directly to a class mate, you can look them up on Facebook and instantaneously paint a full picture of who this person is: where they come from, what social circle they are in, their socioeconomic status, their interests, their relationship status, and pretty much anything else that you are curious about. Once you have this information, you then decide if you even want to bother getting to know this person. While my generation’s willingness to supply personal information on the Internet is astonishing, you cannot deny its usefulness: it has taken the work out of developing relationships.
My mother explained that if her group of friends wanted to go somewhere together, plans were either made in person or via landlines. Once these plans were made the commitment was honored. Nowadays, commitments have lost their sanctity. My friends and I can make plans we do not expect to keep. We can casually cancel plans a hundred ways: email, text, Facebook, Gchat, and Twitter among many others. The word “commitment” has lost its meaning.
My generation is filled with technology junkies and cell phone addicts: information is always at our fingertips. The ease and speed of communication has reached an all time high and virtual social interaction has never been easier. Face to face interaction has become outdated and unnecessary as a result of social media. One might receive an email announcing the engagement of two friends then look through their wedding album once the photos are posted on Facebook. Later one can read a tweet about the birth of their first child or even respond to a poll about potential baby names. You can be constantly informed about the lives of others without ever communicating with them. Instead of the close group of friends that my parents kept in touch with after college, I have an extended network of relationships that are available to me all day every day without requiring that I expend any effort maintaining them, and that is profound.
It was on YouTube. March 14, 2011. It was a Monday, but will forever ring down in history as the day the world first experienced “Friday” by Rebecca Black. The arrangement by The Poet Black was so powerful, so moving. “Kickin’ in the front seat / Sittin’ in the back seat / … Which seat can I take?” Black’s provocative, yet masterful lyricism serves as a metaphor for our current socio-economic crisis: to “kick” it with the upper-class, or simply “sit” with the poor majority? Such is the ethical dilemma that constantly plagues our moral being, and is so succinctly delivered in this song.
Time and time again, Black reaffirms that she is a true lyrical genius—a wordsmith ahead of her time. Through my years as a teenager and young adult, I have seen the rise and fall of MySpace, the omniscience of Facebook, the lonely whispers of Twitter, and the thousand-words-per-picture of Pinterest . . . but nothing will ever be as profound as the moment I experienced Friday.
Better late than never!
What is my most profound digital experience you may ask. It would have to be transitioning from my dinosaur phone to the iPhone. As a hip college student I was rocking a no name Verizon 100 year old flip phone that was known as the “land line” due to the fact that it had to be plugged in be of any use. My dad being the biggest apple fanatic I know, still owning any iPod ever created (including the U2 edition one), finally offered to buy me the iPhone4 for my birthday last June. Little did I know it would be the best present I could ever ask for. The iPhone was all my previous profound digital experiences I had ever had put into one profound device of its own. As soon as the phone reached my hands I was downloading the limitless amount of apps, calling, texting, emailing, facebooking, tweeting, googling, youtubing, instagraming. You name it, I was doing it. I now had any game, any music, any news right at my fingertips. Among my friends I had joined this secret group that indulged in all the wonders of the iPhone that I had never known of before. Sitting here now I don’t know how I ever survived without it. And it just keeps getting better with siri and the iPhone5 coming out soon. The opportunities are amazing and an experience itself, which I hope to one day say about this incredible internship. Thank you for your time and happy hunting!